
The core of Midhaven is guitarists Karan Kaul (front) and Aditya Mohanan, plus drummer Aviraj Kumar (rear). The band started in 2011.
The Mumbai metal mavens use heavyweight guitars and tiny amps to mash Western crunch with Eastern tones and tales on Of the Lotus & the Thunderbolt, their second concept album.
The Hindu god Shiva is known as the Auspicious One and the Destroyer—both of which actually seem … kind of auspicious. But in the realm of metal, the history of named-checked deities typically runs more along the lines of Odin, Thor, Mephistopheles, or even Cthulhu. Shiva, despite the impressive appellations, is rarely the subject of songs—with one notable exception.
That's the music of the Mumbai-based metal trio Midhaven, who, with the release of their latest album, Of the Lotus & the Thunderbolt, now have two song cycles to their credit in which Shiva figures prominently. The band spent 2019 writing and recording the project, which was produced by Apurv Agrawal, and mixed and mastered by engineer Forrester Savell (Animals as Leaders, Karnivool). Then it sat in the can for a year waiting for the pandemic to subside. When it didn't, Midhaven finally decided to release Of the Lotus & the Thunderbolt anyway. It's a concept album, based on the cyclical nature of time, mapping out the course of a soul's journey to enlightenment, with Shiva—in Destroyer mode, naturally—as an overarching presence.
'Primal Song' Music Video
Such heady notions are part of the decade-old band's DNA. They took their name from the astronomical term "midheaven," for the highest point in a celestial object's daily traverse, and started weaving songs into complex yarns with their debut EP, 2012's Tales From The Tide. Those three songs ended up being a teaser of sorts for their first full-length album, 2014's Spellbound, which explores the hallucination of a man who, in the imagined form of Shiva, kills the Greek god Apollo.
Seven years later, Of the Lotus & the Thunderbolt has arrived like a … thunderbolt. Throughout, Midhaven combine operatic vocals and guttural growls with monster guitar riffs that sound like Godzilla tearing down high-tension wires over some unfortunate city. The first single, "Primal Song," assays their gargantuan sound, and the tonal fusion between guitars and bass (the latter courtesy of Jason D'Souza) is electrifyingly monstrous. Tracks like "Codeman" and "Para Brahman" may be more melancholic and anguished, but the riffs are titanic, while "Zhitro" and "Mahakaal" introduce elements of Indian folk music, using guitar orchestrations that combine the contemporary with the traditional.
"At some point, Mastodon really picked me up by the neck—just grabbed me. Brent Hinds is definitely a huge inspiration."—Karan Kaul
Navigating such lofty lyric and sonic terrain are guitarists and close friends Karan Kaul and Aditya Mohanan, who, along with drummer Aviraj Kumar, are the core of Midhaven. Kaul is also the lead vocalist, while Mohanan handles the majority of lead guitar duties. "There are very set roles that just came to be through our synergy," explains Kaul. "Aditya is the scorching guitar player, and I'm more of the backbone, heavy, 'chuggy' [rhythm] guy." And while their roles may be set in terms of guitar duties, songwriting is another matter. "We have this very interesting synergy going on," explains Mohanan. "It's not like one of us is composing a riff. It's like, one of us comes up with an idea and the other one feeds into that idea—adds or subtracts from it, and keeps altering it, and by the end, we can't really tell who it came from. It's the approach we've taken to every song."
They cite Black Sabbath and Metallica as influences, as well as a slew of other two-guitar bands. "At some point, Mastodon really picked me up by the neck—just grabbed me," says Kaul. "Brent Hinds is definitely a huge inspiration." For Mohanan, metal started at Megadeth. "Everyone talks about, 'Are you a Metallica fan or a Megadeth fan?' Marty Friedman is like a god to me," he professes. "I just worship him … and Dave Mustaine—that's where it started off. I love Brent Hinds as well. I like the way he approaches his reverb and his tone and his delays." Mohanan also infuses Midhaven's music with older sources of inspiration. "I really enjoy Bach, Beethoven, Mozart," he admits. "I went through a phase that was neo-classical. And then, around the time this album was being written, I was super into Indian classical and folk forms as well, like [Indian Carnatic vocalist] T.M. Krishna."
Karan Kaul’s Gear
Karan Kaul, who fronts the band, rocking his Gibson Flying V in the studio.
Photo by Mehran Sheikh
Guitars
- ESP Eclipse with Fishman Fluence Signature Series Devin Townsend pickups
- Gibson Flying V (2012)
Effects
- Animal Factory Godeater
- Boss RE-20 Space Echo
- EarthQuaker Devices Erupter Fuzz
- Ibanez Tube Screamer
Amps
- Laney Mini Ironheart (15-watt, studio only)
- Laney GS212VR cab
- Egnater, Vox, Marshall JCM800, or Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier (live, depending on availability)
Strings & Picks
- Elixir 12152 (.012 –.052; studio)
- D'Addario NYXL 1260 Extra Heavy (.012 –.060; live)
- D'Addario Planet Waves Duralin Black Ice
Nowhere is the Indian influence more apparent than on the closing number, "Bhairav." With its trippy, atmospheric, sitar-like outro, Mohanan says it is the most tonally explorative song on the album. "With 'Bhairav,' we wanted to get this weird transience that any Indian classical instrument inherently has. The only way to sustain a note for that long was through the 'twang' element in the sound. The transience that I'm talking about is that slight buzz that accompanies the sound of the instrument. We wanted to make it a lot more psychedelic sounding; otherwise you can just use the Electro-Harmonix Ravish Sitar pedal." In an effort to make it sound "spacey," they experimented with a metal slide, an MXR Phase 90, an EHX Holy Grail, and a Strymon blueSky. "That was all an improvisation," he says. "We picked out parts that sounded really great with each other and put it together."
"We would use really abstract terms to describe the tones that we wanted to create, like, 'I want wet fire.'"—Aditya Mohanan
Musically, the laconic vibe of "Bhairav" plays into the overarching theme of time and evolution that lyrically fuels Of the Lotus & the Thunderbolt, but Midhaven cunningly manipulates the musical timing in "Zhitro," a song that intentionally speeds up over nine minutes and 36 seconds. "A lot of people don't notice it, but we actually increase tempo," reveals Kaul. Mohanan was in the studio with drummer Kumar while tracking, and says that, while it's natural to speed up without a click, "To keep the click rising slowly, slowly, slowly, is always a gamble."
TIDBIT: This is the expanded format artwork for Midhaven's new album. Karan Kaul and Aditya Mohanan used small amps in the studio, for easier tracking, and took pains to keep out of each other's sonic terrain—which was especially important, since all the songs are in drop-B tuning.
According to Kaul, there is "not a drop of digital" in their guitar tones on Of the Lotus & the Thunderbolt. He and Mohanan are self-professed "straight-through-the-amp kinds of guys," and they attribute much of the record's massive sound to their producer, Apurv Agrawal, also known as Cowboy and Sailor Man via his chillwave/synthwave project of the same name. "He's just a fantastic person to work with," professes Kaul. "He really helped us sculpt our tones on this record." Mohanan says he has never seen anyone take tone as seriously as Agrawal. "He took our feedback and took it a step further. He added his own creativity. We would use really abstract terms to describe the tones that we wanted to create, like, 'I want wet fire,' and Apurv would just be like, 'You know what? I know exactly what you're talking about. And you know what? I can get you something even better than that.' That's that guy." Kaul jokingly says he's going to ask Agrawal for "dry water" on the next album.
"It's the kind of song where you need both guitars to be really cut-throat, really hot."—Karan Kaul
All the guitar tracks for Of the Lotus & the Thunderbolt were recorded old school: miked amps and real pedals. For guitars, Kaul primarily used his ESP Eclipse, with Fishman Fluence Signature Series Devin Townsend pickups, which gave him three voices to play with. "I can control everything from just one guitar—how much weight I want to add and how much tone I want to cut." Mohanan relied on his Schecter Diamond Series SLS Avenger with Seymour Duncan pickups. "It's got a coil tap," he says. "I can get any sort of tone I want, at least for Midhaven, with that guitar, but my situation was a little more complicated. I think when you play lead on the stage, you want to be able to switch to clean channels."
Aditya Mohanan’s Gear
Lead guitarist Aditya Mohanan mostly relies upon his Schecter Diamond Series SLS Avenger but is seen here holding an ESP Eclipse.
Photo by Mehran Sheikh
Guitars
- Schecter Diamond Series SLS Avenger with Seymour Duncan SH-3 pickups
Effects
- Animal Factory Godeater
- Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
- Boss RV-6 Digital Reverb
- Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Nano
- KHDK Dark Blood
- MXR M101 Phase 90
- Strymon blueSky Reverberator
- TC Electronic Spark Booster
Amps
- Orange Dark Terror (15/7 watts, studio only)
- Orange PPC112 cab
- Egnater, Vox, Marshall JCM800, or Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier (live, depending on availability)
Strings and Picks
- Elixir 12152 (.012 –.052; studio)
- D'Addario NYXL 1260 Extra Heavy (.012 –.060; live)
- Dunlop 427PJP John Petrucci Jazz III
Because of the sonic bandwidth two-guitar bands compete for in the studio, Mohanan says "Bhairav" was also the trickiest tune to get, tone-wise. "It's the kind of song where you need both guitars to be really cutthroat, really hot. And it was so tricky finding a frequency bandwidth where both of us would not clash with each other, but at the same time complement each other, while being really high-octane." Kaul remembers: "Because you [Mohanan] recorded it first, Apurv and I were just looking at each other, 'How do we get this to cut?'" [laughs]
"It was so tricky finding a frequency bandwidth where both of us would not clash with each other, but at the same time complement each other, while being really high-octane."—Aditya Mohana
Another reason the guitars are likely vying for frequency range is that all of the songs on the new album are in drop-B tuning. Kaul says playing in that tuning came quite naturally, referring to it as "home," because it's a comfortable range for him vocally. But Mohanan says he likes drop B becausethe tuning adds a unique flavor to chord voicings. "When you play a major sixth on a low-end, drop B, it just sounds altered."
Midhaven's high-energy blend of full-blooded metal influences and Indian traditional music mesh to create a distinctive and trippy signature sound.
Photo by Mehran Sheikh
As for amps, they use little boxes, strategically, to get big studio tones. Kaul plugged into a Laney Mini Ironheart—a 15-watter—and a Laney GS212VR cab. Mohanan deployed an Orange Dark Terror, switchable between 15 and 7 watts, and an Orange PPC112 cab.
Other essential components of their rich guitar tones include an Ibanez Tube Screamer that Kaul employs to add a slight bit of gain to his tone. Mohanan says Kaul's tone is generally "a super wet, really warm, sloppy kind of a tone," and that the Tube Screamer "cleans that up just a little bit." Mohanan says his Dunlop John Petrucci Jazz III picks give him an edge, performance-wise. "It just glides across the string," he says. "And it's just really great for pinching [harmonics]. If you want attack, you can get that out of them—and they work really well with the coil-tap." Mohanan says the coil-tap was a game changer in terms of manipulating his tone. "Even in 'Zhitro,' when I'm switching from clean to distortion, I'm not just turning on my distortion pedal in that moment. I'm also switching from a single-coil to a humbucker—it gives that extra boost. I've experimented with that a lot in Midhaven."
In a way, the massive guitar tracks heard on Of the Lotus & the Thunderbolt echo the conceptual theme of a journey to higher levels. Like the album's main character—the human one, not Shiva—the members of Midhaven have musically grown in the past two years, and, "in hindsight," observes Mohanan, "I think the album definitely would be different if it were recorded today."
YouTube It
East meets West in this 2017 live performance by the Midhaven lineup that made Of the Lotus & the Thunderbolt. The rock is there (check out Aditya Mohanan's solo on his Schecter Diamond Series SLS Avenger at 3:08), but the droning, microtonal influence of traditional Indian music echoes between both guitars in the intro's subtle ramp-up.
The author, middle, with bassist Ross Valory (left) and Steve Smith (right) of Journey.
Do you know who’s hanging around your gigs? Our columnist shares a story about the time Journey’s bassist was in the audience during soundcheck.
I’ve always loved what I do for a living. Even long before it became a career, doing the work every day to get better was something I fell in love with right away. As a result, I’ve never had any issues with stage fright or nerves when it comes to performing—even if there are some mega-influential or important musical people in the room.
Luckily, throughout my career, I usually only find out if there’s been someone major in the audience after the show. I’m not very social on tour these days. I’m the last one to soundcheck or show and the first one out of the venue afterwards. I’m often asleep in the hotel before some of the rest of the band have even left the venue.
But once in a while, I do get caught off guard—and this little story from a night on tour last week highlights how you just never know who’s listening … or watching.
I’ve been playing with Steve Smith (former drummer of Journey and inductee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) for over 10 years, first as sidemen with Mike Stern in a band with Randy Brecker, and for the past five years as a member of Steve’s band Vital Information. Throughout that entire time—hundreds of shows, rehearsals, soundchecks, recording sessions, and clinics—I haven’t once played a Journey bass line around him.
It’s that thing of being way too on the nose to even hint at. Knowing that the Journey chapter of Steve’s life is musically very much in the past, it honestly just never crossed my mind. So, what on earth possessed me to start playing the bass line to “Any Way You Want It” during soundcheck in Oakland last week?!
I don’t even get through the first two bars of the song when I hear, “Looks like I’ve been rumbled….” I look up, and there’s Ross Valory, the original bass player for Journey.
I had never met him. I had no idea anyone besides the band and the crew were even in the venue during soundcheck. Aside from the embarrassment of doing that in front of one of your bass heroes, it really got me thinking about how you just never know who is listening.
I don’t know who the phrase “be ready when the luck happens” should be credited to—or if that’s exactly how it was originally said—but I’ve thought about little else since my Ross Valory moment. If you’re considering a career in music, or working to further the one you already have, it might be something worth thinking about for yourself.
“I had no idea anyone besides the band and the crew were even in the venue during soundcheck. Aside from the embarrassment of doing that in front of one of your bass heroes, it really got me thinking about how you just never know who is listening.”
Like I said before, I’ve been in love with the work since the beginning. I still set aside vast amounts of time every day to practice and work on my music. I’m constantly tinkering with my goals, large and small. I’m realistic about the time it will take to reach them, the work I need to do to get there, and the fact that some goals may well change over time—and I have to be totally okay with that and adapt as quickly as possible.
The success of the work and the attainment of the goal is also going to rely at least a little bit (and if I’m being honest, sometimes a lot) on luck. Being ready to capitalize on luck involves constantly updating my daily routine. I have to find the balance between working on very specific elements of my playing for long periods of time, and letting them go once I know they’re an internal part of my vocabulary.
Jazz pianist Chick Corea talked about memorizing versus knowing a piece of music. When you read through a chart and start to memorize it, you’re essentially just taking the music from the sheet and creating a picture of it in your brain. You then end up looking for that picture the next time you want to play it—and all you’ve done is take away the physical paper while keeping the concept of reading. That’s not knowing the material like it’s a natural part of your vocabulary. The repetition I aim for in my daily routine is what helps me play the language of music as fluently as I speak English.
The confidence gained by putting in the work can make you so much more ready for your moment than you’ve ever been before.
Set goals, love the work, and always be ready.
You never know who’s listening….
The veteran Florida-born metalcore outfit proves that you don’t need humbuckers to pull off high gain.
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single “Trembling Level,” back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PG’s Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the band’s show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Het’s Hardwired strings, .011–.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab that’s been rebadged in honor of its nickname, “Donkey,” while the Archon, which is like a “refined 5150,” runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primack’s Pedalboard
Primack’s board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taver’s Teles
Vadim Taver’s go-to is this cherryburst Fender Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primack’s recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have D’Addario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taver’s Pedalboard
Taver’s board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmon’s favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which he’s outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ’70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmon’s Pedalboard
Harmon’s board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
Kiesel Guitars has introduced their newest solid body electric guitar: the Kyber.
With its modern performance specs and competitive pricing, the Kyber is Kiesel's most forward-thinking design yet, engineered for comfort, quick playing, and precision with every note.
Introducing the Kiesel Kyber Guitar
- Engineered with a lightweight body to reduce fatigue during long performances without sacrificing tone. Six-string Kybers, configured with the standard woods and a fixed bridge, weigh in at 6 pounds or under on average
- Unique shape made for ergonomic comfort in any playing position and enhanced classical position
- The Kyber features Kiesel's most extreme arm contour and a uniquely shaped body that enhances classical position support while still excelling in standard position.
- The new minimalist yet aggressive headstock pairs perfectly with the body's sleek lines, giving the Kyber a balanced, modern silhouette.
- Hidden strap buttons mounted on rear for excellent balance while giving a clean, ultra-modern look to the front
- Lower horn cutaway design for maximum access to the upper frets
- Sculpted neck heel for seamless playing
- Available in 6 or 7 strings, fixed or tremolo in both standard and multiscale configurations Choose between fixed bridges, tremolos, or multiscale configurations for your perfect setup.
Pricing for the Kyber starts at $1599 and will vary depending on options and features. Learn more about Kiesel’s new Kyber model at kieselguitars.com
The Sunset is a fully analog, zero latency bass amplifier simulator. It features a ¼” input, XLR and ¼” outputs, gain and volume controls and extensive equalization. It’s intended to replace your bass amp both live and in the studio.
If you need a full sounding amp simulator with a lot of EQ, the Sunset is for you. It features a five band equalizer with Treble, Bass, Parametric Midrange (with frequency and level controls), Resonance (for ultra lows), and Presence (for ultra highs). All are carefully tuned for bass guitar. But don’t let that hold you back if you’re a keyboard player. Pianos and synthesizers sound great with the Sunset!
The Sunset includes Gain and master Volume controls which allow you to add compression and classic tube amp growl. It has both ¼” phone and balanced XLR outputs - which lets you use it as a high quality active direct box. Finally, the Sunset features zero latency all analog circuitry – important for the instrument most responsible for the band’s groove.
Introducing the Sunset Bass Amp Simulator
- Zero Latency bass amp simulator.
- Go direct into the PA or DAW.
- Five Band EQ:
- Treble and Bass controls.
- Parametric midrange with level and frequency controls.
- Presence control for extreme highs.
- Resonance control for extreme lows.
- Gain control to add compression and harmonics.
- Master Volume.
- XLR and 1/4" outputs.
- Full bypass.
- 9VDC, 200mA.
Artwork by Aaron Cheney
MAP price: $210 USD ($299 CAD).